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Polymer nanofibre junctions of attolitre volume serve as zeptomole-scale chemical reactors

Nature Chemistry volume 1, pages 80–86 (2009)Cite this article

A Corrigendum to this article was published on 01 May 2009

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Abstract

Methods allowing chemical reactions to be carried out on ultra-small scales in a controllable fashion are potentially important for a number of disciplines, including molecular electronics, photonics and molecular biology, and may provide fundamental insight into chemistry in confined spaces. Ultra-small-scale reactions also circumvent potential problems associated with reagent and product toxicity, and reduce energy consumption and waste generation. Here, we report a technique for performing chemical reactions on a zeptomole (10−21 mol) scale. We show that electrospun polymer nanofibres with a diameter of 100–300 nm can be loaded with reactants, and that the junctions formed between crossed nanofibres can function as attolitre-volume reactors. Exposure to heat or solvent vapours fuses the fibres and initiates the reaction. The reaction products can be analysed directly within the nanofibre junctions by fluorescence measurements and mass spectrometry, and solvent extraction of multiple reactors allows product identification by common micromethods such as high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry.

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Figure 1: The principle of attolitre reactor formation.
Figure 2: Formation of reaction products at the junction of crossed polymer nanofibres.
Figure 3: Reagent diffusion in nanofibre junctions.
Figure 4: The diffusion-limited nature of reactions in an attoreactor.
Figure 5: Reaction of a macromolecular substrate in an attoreactor.

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Change history

  • 16 March 2009

    In the version of this Article originally published, in paragraph six of the main text, the concentration of reagents in the fibre after evaporation of the solvent was incorrectly given as 0.5 mol l-1, this should have read 0.5 mmol l-1. This has been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions of the Article.

  • 27 March 2009

    In the version of this Article originally published, the structure given in Fig. 3a for rhodamine 6G (compound 5) was incorrect. The error has now been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions.

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Acknowledgements

Financial support from the NSF (CHE No. 0750303, EXP-LA No. 0731153 to P.A.) and Bowling Green State University is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Photochemical Sciences and Department of Chemistry, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, 43403, USA

    Pavel Anzenbacher Jr & Manuel A. Palacios

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  1. Pavel Anzenbacher Jr
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  2. Manuel A. Palacios
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P.A. and M.A.P. contributed equally to this work.

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Correspondence to Pavel Anzenbacher Jr.

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Anzenbacher, P., Palacios, M. Polymer nanofibre junctions of attolitre volume serve as zeptomole-scale chemical reactors. Nature Chem 1, 80–86 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.125

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